


Keeper and Protector

by talktoemspooky (orphan_account)



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Bottom Tyler, Cuddling, Depression, Dom/sub Undertones, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, First Love, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Homelessness, Josh has red hair, Josh is awkward but sweet, Keeper - Freeform, M/M, Masturbation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shy Tyler, Strangers to Lovers, Top Josh, Tyler is reserved but also sweet, for a brief chapter, protector - Freeform, virgin!Tyler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-06-14 08:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15384420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/talktoemspooky
Summary: A Keeper was only as good as their Protector. But without  love and affection, there was no hope for them -- it was a death sentence that only time itself could erase.Josh had no experience whatsoever as a Protector… but he cared.And maybe that was all Tyler needed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is back (again ha) so hi there. Hope you lovelies have been well.
> 
> During the time that this was absent, I rewrote some of the chapters, so hopefully you will like it.

"I'm looking for a guy named Tyler Joseph. Is he staying in this shelter?"

Tired blue eyes met curious brown eyes as the older woman sitting on one of the shelter's cots stared up at the man in front of her. They were totally unfamiliar with each other, yet for some reason, this young man felt that out of all the people inside the shelter, she would be the best one to ask.

"Joseph," she repeated. "Tyler Joseph." Holding her hand to her mouth, she pondered over it for a moment. "Yes, I met him a few weeks ago; our cots were next to each other when he first came here."

"Is he still here?" the man asked.

"As far as I know." Her expression turned to a frown. "He hasn't been well, though, so he's mainly kept to himself." Standing up, wincing a little in the process, she pointed to across the room. "See him? There he is right there, the real skinny one."

Grateful that he had managed to locate him, the man thanked her for her help before maneuvering his way across the room.

Sat huddled in the corner was a young man, a black hoodie pulled over his head, blocking most of his face from view. Bony hands were wrapped tightly around an even bonier body, the only thing signaling a sign of life inside of him being the tremors that wracked his nerves.

The older man came closer before stooping down, a bit concerned over the current state this boy was in. Reaching out a steady hand to lay on his shoulder, he hoped to try and calm his nerves down some.

Instead, Tyler flinched back, an almost heartbreakingly terrified look on his face. But his eyes quickly went from fear to confusion when he saw that who was in front of him was clearly not who he had been expecting.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the older man said, his body drawn back a little. "Are you Tyler Joseph?"

"Who are you?" Tyler asked, his arms circling around himself again, fingers digging into the fabric of his hoodie. "How do you know my name?"

"My name is Joshua Dun. You can call me Josh for short."

"Joshua…" Tyler said carefully. "What do you want with me?"

"I know you're a Keeper."

Tyler's pale skin turned another shade of white, a panicked expression on his face. "Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you," Josh quickly added.

"Then why are you here?" He looked away from Josh's glance. "Nobody ever wants to be around a Keeper."

"Hey, don't say that." Josh reached his hand out again, more slowly this time, and let just his fingertips rest on Tyler's knee. "I found you on the Time Keeper Database.”

Tyler's eyes widened a little. “You... you read my message on there?”

Josh leaned in a little, his voice hushed. “I did. I want to help you, Tyler.”

“But...” Tyler looked down again, fingers shaking ever so slightly. “I'm scared.” Lifting up his sleeve, he held out his wrist, exposing his Time Keeper symbol. “You see how faded my Time Keeper is? I'm done for. Even if you _were_ to help me... it'd probably be too late.”

Josh's heart pulled at the look of despair embedded deep within the younger boy's eyes. “Tyler...”

Pulling his knees up to his chest, he leaned his head on top of them, his eyes staring off into the distance. “I'm so scared, Josh,” he whispered. “At this point, I just want to be put out of my misery.”

“Hey. Listen to me, Tyler.” The younger boy's eyes flicked up to look at Josh. “Even if it is too late for you, I want your last days to be spent with someone that cares about you and not here in this shelter surrounded by strangers.”

“But... why me? Have you been a Protector before?”

Josh shook his head. “No. But let's just say that I know a lot about it.” He held his hand out to him. “What do you think? I'll take care of you for as long as I can.”

Tyler's brown eyes looked at the older man's outstretched hand and the way his fingers looked so strong, yet so gentle. Would he really lay his livelihood as a Keeper on the line for this man?

Did he even have much of a choice anymore?

Or was he just going to die in the corner of this shelter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stick with me, frens, I appreciate you.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't help but wonder what Josh and Tyler have in store for Trench. I can tell there's a story waiting to be told.

“Do you want something to drink? Coffee or water?”

Tyler clutched his small bag of belongings against his chest, nervous eyes darting around at the unfamiliar surroundings of Josh's house. “Um... coffee would be ok I guess,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You can put your things down and take a seat wherever you'd like,” Josh said. He hurried over to the kitchen cabinets, the nervous energy in his body painfully obvious. “Is there a certain flavor of coffee you like? Because I have all kinds of flavors.”

Setting his bag down on the floor, he gave Josh an almost embarrassed look. “I, uh, actually haven't had coffee in months. So I don't really know what I like."

Josh stopped what he was doing at that. “Oh... I'm sorry. I don't know, should I be apologizing over that?” He scratched the back of his neck, a bit irritated over how awkward he was being.

Tyler shook his head. “It's okay. My Protector didn't like how I made his coffee, so he forbade me from ever drinking it. I guess it's just one of those things you forget about after awhile.”

The older man wasn't too sure how to respond to something that sounded so ridiculous to someone on the outside looking in, so he gave him the best smile he could manage. “Well, I've been told I make a pretty good cup of coffee. How does French Vanilla sound?”

Tyler tried to smile, but it came out more like a forced grimace. “That's fine, thanks.”

He didn't mention how, on that aforementioned day, his Protector had slapped him so hard that his cheek burned for a solid hour straight. Or how he threw the coffee cup at the wall and it shattered into so many tiny pieces that Tyler couldn't walk barefoot in the kitchen for months.

Those were memories he tried to forget, but every little thing, every single sound and sensation reminded him of the endless months of torment.

Intrusive thoughts rushed into Tyler's mind as he watched Josh make the coffee, the voice in his head trying to rationalize all the things that  _could_  possibly happen.

_What if Josh turned around and screamed at him for breathing too loud? What if he accidentally slurped his coffee and Josh took it away from him because he was being an 'obnoxious brat?' What if just the sight of him made Josh mad and he would decide that none of this was really worth it? What if--_

“Sugar?”

The brunette snapped out of his thoughts, thrown off a little. “Excuse me?”

“Do you want sugar in your coffee?” Josh repeated, gently holding the cup of coffee out to him.

Tyler was a bit dumbfounded at what was in front of him. He hadn't even noticed that the coffee maker turned off, let alone that Josh had made his cup already. “S-sure,” he said. “Thank you, Joshua.”

Josh chuckled a little. “You can call me Josh, you know. Not that I mind 'Joshua.'”

“I know,” Tyler said quietly. “Joshua is a really nice name, that's all.”

He gave him a warm smile. “Thank you, Tyler. No one's ever told me that before. I like your name, too.”

Tyler frowned a little. “Sometimes it bothers me how so many people have my name. What makes me different from all the rest of them out there, you know?” He looked down. “Well, besides being a Keeper. I guess that would be a huge difference,” he mumbled.

“Keeper or no Keeper, you're still you. You're Tyler. I'm sure there are thousands of other Josh's out there as well." He laughed. "Though I'm sure there's no one out there as delightfully awkward as I am.”

The tiniest of smiles appeared on Tyler's lips for a split second before disappearing again. If Josh had blinked, he would have missed it, so he was grateful that he had seen it while it was there.

“Good point I guess.”

“How is your coffee?” Josh asked.

Tyler realized he hadn't tasted it yet, so he held it up to his lips, the hot liquid nearly burning his tongue in the process. “It's still a little bitter,” he said.

A sharp gasp left his lips after he realized what he had said, almost dropping his cup onto the counter. Drawing back, he prepared himself for an immediate slap, his eyes instinctively squeezing shut.

When he was met with nothing but silence, Tyler slowly opened his eyes back up to see Josh pouring creamer into the coffee, the ceramic shaking in his hands.

“Maybe that will help,” he said quietly.

The younger boy was nearly speechless. “You're... you're not...”

“I'm not going to hurt you, Tyler. I would never do that.”

Tyler looked up at him with pleading, confused eyes. “But I--”

Josh held a finger up to his lips, shushing him. “Shh. Drink your coffee, love. You deserve it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously, I had mentioned that I was going to have an MRI done on my brain. I had that done and it came back normal, thank goodness. My neurologist is still trying to figure out what's wrong with me, but right now, I have chronic headaches and problems with my nerves/shakiness. It's a mess haha but I try to function... somewhat.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I really didn't like Jumpsuit and Nico and the Niners at first, but now I really like them. I appreciate how Josh and Tyler dabble into different styles with every album that they make. That's really respectable as an artist.

"This will be your room, Tyler."

A soft gasp left Tyler's lips as he took in the room around him. Between a huge bed with luxuriant blankets and the tall windows that let in every inch of sunshine, he was amazed at how much more... brighter and welcoming everything was, compared to the room he had shared with his Protector.

"You have such a nice house," Tyler breathed out. He carefully set his bag down on the bed, afraid that he might mess it up somehow. "Are you... are you a millionaire?"

Josh laughed a little. "Not quite, sweetheart. My family is relatively... well-off, so I guess that helps a little. But I bought this place with my own money."

Tyler was a little surprised at that admission. Josh certainly didn't  _look_  like he was rich; he didn't own a sports car or have designer clothes on.

But Tyler also knew more than anything that looks could definitely deceive...

"I like it." He sat down on the edge of the bed, wincing a little as the springs creaked. "Ouch," he mumbled.

Josh laid his hand on Tyler's shoulder, a concerned look on his face. "You okay?"

"Y-Yes... well, not really." Tyler rubbed his hands up and down the sides of his thighs. "Everything hurts and I'm tired.”

"Did you want to lay down? I can help you into bed."

He shook his head. "No, no. I just want to get better. I can't remember the last time I felt... normal."

"I know, Tyler. All of this must be really hard on you.” Josh came over and sat down next to him on the bed, placing his hand on Tyler's knee. “Is there anything that I can do for you?”

“You've done so much for me already, Josh. I don't know how to possibly thank you,” he mumbled.

Josh smiled a little. “No need to thank me, sweetheart. Let's just focus on getting you better, okay?”

Tyler nodded. “Okay.” Holding his sleeve up to his nose, he grimaced. “I think I need to focus on taking a bath or something. I wasn't able to bathe while I was at the homeless shelter.”

“How come?”

“The last time I weighed myself, I'd lost twenty-five pounds because... well, my Time Keeper is really low and my Protector didn't let me have anything to eat besides crackers and water because he said I was too fat.”

Josh couldn't believe how Tyler, a tall and slender boy, could ever believe such a horrible lie about himself. But he kept his mouth shut and let him continue talking.

“There were open, communal showers at the shelter, so I didn't want to scare anyone with my body. And if someone were to see my Time Keeper, they might have told and then had me kicked out of there. Everyone hates Keepers, you know...”

“I don't.” Josh's hand tightened around Tyler's knee. “I'm so sorry you had to go through all that with your Protector.” Inside of his mind, Josh wanted to find out who this guy was so he could go over to his house and beat the crap out of him for daring to  _ever_  lay a hand on this beautiful boy. “Can I fix you something to eat? I'll go to the store and buy you anything you want.”

When the younger boy's expression turned to uncertainty, Josh tried to spin the question in a positive way. “What's your favorite food? We can eat that for dinner, if you'd like.”

“I don't know anymore...” Tyler mumbled, arms wrapping tightly across his chest. “I... I guess I...” His voice trailed off before he shook his head. “Never mind.”

“No, tell me,” Josh urged him.

Tyler swallowed before speaking again. “I guess I like spaghetti. My mom used to make the best spaghetti when I was younger. I miss it a lot.”

Josh smiled, happy that Tyler had thought of something he liked. “Let's eat that for dinner then. It probably won't be as good as your mom's, but hey, I'll try my best.”

The brunette couldn't find the heart to tell Josh that he would probably throw up anything that he tried to eat, since his stomach was used to practically nothing. But he was being so nice that he knew it would be useless to try and say no. So he nodded and managed another tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile. “Thank you, Joshua. I don't mind making it if you don't want to. I don't want to seem lazy.”

Josh shook his head. “You're not lazy, Tyler. I want you to rest and be comfortable, okay? Let's get you a bath going so you can soak, then after you're done, I'll head to the store and get some stuff for dinner. How does that sound to you?”

“Sounds okay.” Pushing himself up off the bed, Tyler was a bit unsteady as he stood to his feet, Josh holding onto his arm just in case. “Such long legs, you'd think they'd work right,” he joked dryly.

“Just take your time, love. Don't overdo it.” Josh played with an idea inside of his mind, but he wasn't sure whether to suggest it to Tyler or not.

“What is it?” Tyler asked, eyes locked onto Josh's. “I can see there's something you want to tell me.”

Josh scratched the back of his neck, a hesitant look on his face. “This is probably going to sound totally weird, but... since you're still really weak, I was thinking I could help you into the bathtub. Just as a precaution. I don't want you falling and hurting yourself.”

Tyler looked away, frowning a little. “You're not going to make fun of me?”

“Of course not, Tyler. Why would I do that?”

“Sorry, I'm just so used to...” His voice trailed off before he sighed a little. “Never mind.”

Josh gave him an understanding nod. Honestly, they both had a lot to get used to. It wouldn't be an overnight process, of course, but this was a step in the right direction. "Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?” he said, standing up.

Tyler watched as a palm was extended to him, bringing along an invitation to strange places with an even stranger, yet alluring man. Slowly, he slipped his hand into Josh's and let himself be led away.

The synapses in his arm lit on fire as he felt his Time Keeper tick ever so slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel you, Tyler, everything hurts and I'm tired too.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have my Sims lives more planned out than my own tbh.
> 
> This is going to be sort of a slow burn but not really because time is kinda of the essence for Tyler haha.

7:00AM and a calm hush resided over the Dun residence, the bright start of the morning making its way through the curtains as an exhausted young man slept on in bed.

Caught up in the haze of a dreamer's sleep, he rolled over, but a little too far as his head met the corner of the bedside table with a sharp  _bang_  and a loud yelp.

Throbbing resonated through his skull as he clutched at his temples, bordering on a bit delirious from being thrown out of his dreams so harshly.

Groaning, he turned onto his back, slowly opening his eyes. Pulling the covers over his face, he began to wonder how long he had been asleep for.

After the initial throbbing began to fade, he slid the covers back down, figuring there was no way he was going back to sleep after that, anyway. Turning back onto his side, his eyes were immediately drawn to a note on the bedside table.

Reaching over, he picked it up and read the messy handwriting scrawled across the lines on the page.

 

**Tyler,**

**When I went to the store last night, I neglected to remember that I have pretty much nothing here for breakfast haha. Plus we need more coffee. :) So I'm going back to the store… didn't want to wake you because I know you need your rest. But I'll be back as soon as I can, ok?**

**\- Josh(ua)**

 

Tyler's stomach tightened into a knot when he realized that he had fallen asleep right after his bath last night. The last thing he remembered was putting on the pajamas Josh had gave him and telling him 'bye' as he left out for the store.

And then the next thing he knew… he was knocking himself awake.

A wave of panic washed over him as his mind went over all the negative consequences he could face because of his blundrr. Here he was making Josh go all the way to the store for dinner and then he had the  _nerve_  to fall asleep on him.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , Tyler chided himself.  _You're always messing everything up. You're a screw-up._

At this point, he'd be surprised if Josh even let him stay another night in his house. He knew that if he had pulled that kind of crap with his old Protector… things wouldn't have ended well for him (and he had the bruises to prove it ten-fold).

Still… Josh had left him such a nice note  _and_  went back to the store so they could have stuff for breakfast. If he was truly mad at him about missing dinner, he wouldn't have done all that… right?

He folded the note carefully before placing it back onto the table. Slowly, but surely, he pulled himself up to the edge of the bed, his bare toes brushing against the soft carpet.

As he shuffled to the bathroom, his mind wandered to the previous night and how it felt so lovely to hold Josh's hand for that brief moment in time. Even if it was completely innocent in context, the exchange itself was something foreign, yet absolutely needed to him right now.

He just wanted to feel whole again.

Keepers couldn't function with a broken heart that was hemorraghing more and more love by the second. They needed a Protector to fill in all of the empty spaces.

But why him? Why had Josh choosen him, out of all people, when there were plenty of other suitable (and much cuter) Keepers out there?

He was just bruised, broken and lonely.

_Who would want you?_

By this time, Tyler had made his way downstairs, feet taking him from room to room as he poked around the house, trying to get somewhat of a feel of how this man really lived.

Everything was neat and in order; certainly not immaculate, but Tyler could tell that Josh was organized, and "had his crap together." All of the furnishings complemented the decor perfectly, just like a house one would see on TV, and he began to wonder if Josh was an interior decorator.

Brushing his fingers over the leather couch, he decided to take a seat, so Josh wouldn't come home to find him creeping around the house.

Rubbing at the still sore spot on his forehead, he hoped that he hadn't hit himself hard enough to cause any real damage. The last thing he needed was a trip to the hospital…

_Maybe your brain will swell up so much that you'll die. Then you can be put out of your misery already._

Shivering, Tyler wrapped his arms around himself, wishing to be back underneath the covers, safe in his dreams where none of the voices could grab hold of him.

Just as he thought he was close to succumbing to all of the intrusive thoughts inside of his mind, the sound of a key scraping against the lock came into his ears.

Josh.

He heard the front door open and then shut, the sound of rustling plastic bags filling the otherwise quiet air. Feeling a bit awkward, Tyler wasn't sure whether to get up and greet him, stay in the same place or try to run back upstairs to his room without being seen.

 _Go tell him good morning,_  Tyler told himself.  _It's the least you could do after being so rude as to fall asleep on him._

The younger boy held his hands behind his back as he slowly walked into the kitchen, twisting his fingers together so tightly that he feared they might break. The back of Josh's head came into view, said man taking various items out of the bags and placing them on the counter.

His voice caught in his throat as he tried to speak, so it came out more like a tiny squeak. "Morning."

Josh turned around, and Tyler prepared himself for the absolute worst, but to his surprise, he had nothing but a sweet smile on his face. "Good morning to you, sleepy-head!" He chuckled. "Did you have a nice rest?"

Tyler looked down, circling his big toe around on the cold wood floor. "Y-Yeah. M'sorry for falling asleep."

"Sorry?" When he looked back up, he saw Josh staring at him with a confused look on his face. "What are you sorry for?"

Tyler stumbled over his words. "B-Because I, um, fell asleep after you left to go to the store. You were gonna make dinner and… well, t-that was rude of me to do. So I'm sorry."

Josh's expression turned into laughter, and now it was Tyler's turn to be confused. "Sweetheart, you don't have to apologize about anything. You need your rest, so I wasn't surprised at all that you fell asleep. And besides…" He grinned. "That's why they make refrigerators."

If he were to be completely honest, Tyler felt a bit dumbfounded at what was unfolding before him. This guy, Joshua Dun,  _wasn't_  mad at him and  _wasn't_  going to berate him for messing up?

Was he still dreaming? Had that table knocked him unconscious and all of this was just a really long hallucination?

"I hope you like cereal. Because I bought a lot of it." Josh held up two boxes of cereal and gave him a sheepish grin. "My life consists of stressing over everything and eating copious amounts of cereal, to be honest."

The look on Josh's face and his unapologetic honesty about himself was almost too perfect; so much so that Tyler let out the tiniest of giggles, the sound of it surprising the both of them.

"Sorry," Tyler mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed over making such a silly sound.

"No, don't be." Josh smiled. "It's cute. You're cute."

Tyler felt shy all of a sudden as he watched Josh continue to put the food away, his big toe curling against the floor as the  _tick, tick, tick_  in his arm grew a little stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tyler is shy and Josh(ua) likes cereal way too much.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the positive feedback so far. <3 I love you all.

"There's someone I want you to meet today."

Tyler, sat cross-legged on the kitchen barstool as he dragged his spoon around in his bowl of cereal, looked up at Josh with a worried expression on his face. The last thing he needed was to meet another person who'd be disgusted by his Time Keeper symbol.

"Don't worry, Tyler. He knows about you already and he's totally fine."

_He?_

Tyler looked down at the bits of cereal that were getting more and more soggy by the minute, internally cursing himself for not being able to eat more than the two spoonfuls he had already managed.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

Josh made a small 'hmm' sound. "Well, not quite. He's my house manager. We are good friends, though." He gave the younger boy a smile. "I think you'll like him."

The last time Tyler had heard those words was when the headmaster in charge of the Keeper Training School had matched him with his Protector, the seemingly loveable person that turned out to be his worst nightmare.

"When will he be here?" Tyler asked.

"Probably in the next thirty minutes or so. He asked for today off, but he still wanted to come by and meet you."

Tyler placed the bowl down onto the counter and frowned a little. It was hard enough trying to adjust to being around Josh, and now there was _another_ new person he had to meet?

"If you're not feeling up to it, that's okay, Tyler."

When the younger boy looked up, he saw the concerned look on Josh's face. A twinge of guilt went through him at the thought of seeming ungrateful… but everything was just so difficult and confusing. Honestly, he didn't know which way was up or down anymore.

He shook his head. "No. I want to meet him."

Josh nodded before taking a look at Tyler's cereal, still mostly uneaten. "Are you done?"

"Y-Yeah. Not really hungry anymore." Tyler chewed on his bottom lip, unsure of what Josh's reaction would be. "I'm sorry for not eating a lot."

"No need to apologize, sweetheart." The redhead gave him a sweet smile. "Good job. I'm really proud of you."

*** * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * ***

After breakfast, Tyler managed to slip away back upstairs to his room while Josh put the rest of the groceries away. It wasn't that he didn't want to be around Josh… but his head was spinning so bad that he feared he might black out right then and there.

Wrapped up in the blanket, only his face was visible as he laid inside of his "coccoon." Maybe it was weird, perhaps it was childish, but he felt secure and somewhat… in control when he was like this; something he hadn't felt in a while.

His mind drifted back to his days at Keeper Training School, where he spent long days and even longer nights with girls and boys that were _just_ like him. Inside of those walls, the Time Keeper symbol was an adornment, something to cherish and be proud of. Yet, despite all of that, everyone had the same hopes and fears, praying that their Protector would be their soulmate and partner for eternity.

Things were much simpler as a teenager; goofing around during class and listening to the girls giggle with each other about first kisses and their "dream Protector."

But being slapped across the face and called every name in existence made a person grow up rather quickly…

_Maybe you deserved it. You were too soft. Too weak._

"Shut up," Tyler whispered.

_It's weak to be afraid. You're nothing but a scaredy cat._

"Shut up," he repeated, squeezing his eyes shut.

_Your Protector should've killed you that night and done both of you a favor._

Tyler began to hyperventilate, pushing himself out of his coccoon and tearing the blanket away. Throwing it across the room with more force than he had anticipated, he dragged his knees up to his chest, his vision blurring with tears as his eyelids closed again.

"Stupid," he mumbled to himself. "So stupid."

As ridiculous as it sounded, Tyler really needed Josh right now. He wanted a hug, a smile, something that told him he would be okay. That everything _wasn't_ as bad as it really seemed. But he couldn't possibly ask that of Josh, someone that had done so much for him already in the short amount of time they had known each other.

So he let the tears fall down his face, whimpering as quietly as he could.

_Maybe I am weak._

Tyler was so wrapped up in his thoughts and emotions that he didn't even notice the sound of a new voice inside of the house and the two pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs.

It wasn't until he looked up and saw Josh standing in the doorway with an unfamiliar-looking man that he realized he had been found out.

He quickly wiped away the dried tears on his face and tried his best to make it look like he was okay. "O-Oh, I didn't even hear you come in," he mumbled, struggling to come up with an excuse.

The concern was immediately apparent on Josh's face. "Tyler... are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Tyler nodded, as if he were trying to convince himself of the very same thing.

Josh paused, not believing him for a minute, before motioning to the man beside him. "I'd like you to meet Fynn."

Tyler did a brief once-over of Fynn, noticing how tall he was (compared to Josh, anyway) and the contrast of his almost ice blonde hair against his blue eyes. Honestly, he looked like a guy one would find on a magazine cover and not as a house manager.

"Hi," Tyler said softly, his voice breaking a little.

Fynn gave him an uneasy smile, obviously sensing the discord within Tyler's body language. "It's nice to meet you, Tyler. Are you settling in alright?"

The brunette just nodded, not saying anything more as he looked away from them.

Josh, totally unconvinced that everything was not as "fine" as it seemed, came a little closer and tried again to get through to Tyler. "Hey… you sure you're okay?"

Tyler opened his mouth, but when he turned his head and saw the gentle, pleading look in Josh's eyes, any words he had to say completely disintegrated into nothing as he burst into tears.

Before he knew it, the two men were sitting with him on the bed as he sobbed away, tears and snot all over his face. Any hint of shame that he had was a thing of the past as he completely fell apart in front of them.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Josh's eyes were worried. He was afraid he had done something to upset him and, honestly, that was a thought he really couldn't bear right now.

"Everything," Tyler said between cries. "It just hurts."

Josh placed his hand on the younger boy's knee, his eyebrows furrowed. "What hurts?"

"Me," he croaked out. "My heart. I'm so hurt, Josh."

Josh couldn't explain what came over him, but before he could stop himself, he was leaning over and taking Tyler into his arms. He expected a negative reaction, but to his surprise, Tyler just wrapped his arms around him in return, digging his nails into his shoulders as he clung to him.

"I'm so sorry," Josh whispered. "I wish I could take your pain away, Tyler. I really do."

Fynn watched as everything unfolded before him, not wanting to interject himself into such a fragile situation. But he felt for Tyler. He understood those feelings more than he would ever really know.

Slowly, Tyler's crying turned into soft sniffles as he began to calm down some. By this time, Fynn had grabbed him some tissues, so he blew his nose and wiped his cheeks off. Through all this, though, he kept his head leaned onto Josh's shoulder as said man rubbed small circles into his back.

"Sorry for all my gross crying," Tyler finally mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed at his breakdown. His eyes went to the blonde across from him. "Great first impression, I know."

"Don't apologize," Fynn said. "I'm not here to judge you, Tyler. Sometimes… we just need to cry. It's natural."

Tyler nodded, brushing his hand up and down his arm as his eyes drifted away. "Guess so. I know this is a little late, but… it's nice to meet you, Fynn." He managed a small, barely there smile. "Fynn is a pretty name."

Fynn smiled back at him, reaching over and patting his knee. "Hey, thanks. It's short for Fynnley, but I prefer Fynn."

"Fynnley and Joshua," Tyler said to no one in particular before holding his head up to look at Josh. "All of you have nicknames, but I'm just plain Tyler."

Josh thought about that for a moment. "Hmm… how about we call you Ty?"

He smiled a little at the nickname. "My friends back in Keeper Training School called me Ty sometimes." Nodding, he returned his head back to its original positon on Josh's shoulder. "Ty it is then."

Josh smiled back, feeling overwhelmingly relieved that Tyler wasn't upset anymore. "Cute name for a cute person," he said, deciding to turn his head and press a tiny, soft kiss against Tyler's forehead.

It was a foreign, almost ticklish sensation for Tyler, and he really wanted to laugh, but stifled it so he wouldn't hurt Josh's feelings. So, instead, he smiled and moved his head in a little closer as he listened to Fynn and Josh talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm resting my hope on seeing the boys for the first time this October on the three radio station contests I entered to win ha because lord knows I can't afford it. I probably won't win, but it never hurts to try.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3
> 
> (P.S. What do you guys think of Fynn? He is going to play a somewhat major role in the plot haha)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My life consists of eating cereal, stressing over my job, playing The Sims 2, taking too much medication and writing Joshler tbh.

When Tyler came down into the kitchen the next morning, sleepy and rubbing his eyes, he found Josh with his head nearly inside his bowl of cereal, slumped over in obvious exhaustion.

“Joshua?” He said his name softly, unsure of why Josh was sitting there half-asleep. When he didn't get a response, he walked over and touched him gently on the shoulder. “Hey... good morning.”

Josh jumped awake in response, making the younger boy flinch a little. He knew that the redhead meant no harm, but sudden movements were still so frightening for him.

“Oh gosh,” Josh mumbled as he rubbed at his temples with his knuckles. “Must have nodded off.” He looked up at Tyler and gave him a small smile. “Good morning, Ty. How did you sleep?”

Tyler shuffled back and forth on his feet. “I slept okay. I'm taking it you didn't sleep all that well?”

He shook his head. “I went to bed a little too late. I was up finishing a project for work that's due today.”

The brunette's mind went back to the previous night's activities; they had finally ate that spaghetti Josh had promised he'd make for dinner and then watched a random TV series on Netflix for the rest of the night while they talked on and off about random things. Once it hit midnight, Tyler was starting to fall asleep so Josh helped him upstairs, gave him some new pajamas to change into and told him good night. After that, he assumed that Josh went straight to bed as well... but apparently not.

Chewing at his bottom lip, he looked down at the floor. “M'sorry I kept you up for so long, Josh.”

“Sweetheart, you don't have to be sorry.” Josh gave him a smile, reaching over and taking Tyler's hand into his own. “I wanted to stay up and spend time with you. Work is work, and you're so much more important than that.”

In the back of his mind, Tyler memorized the way Josh's hand felt in his, tiny sparks of electricity running through his nerves. “You mean that?”

He squeezed his hand. “Absolutely. How are you feeling today, sweetie?”

Tyler shrugged. “I'm okay. Still a little tired, but better than I have been in a while.”

“Good. I'm glad to hear that, Ty.” Letting go of his hand, he stood to his feet and picked up his bowl. “Guess I should get dressed for work, yeah? Fynn will be over here soon. If you're feeling up to it, I'd like for him to take you shopping so you can buy any clothes and personal items that you need. I'll leave some cash for you to take with you; Fynn has a credit card, but it's more for emergencies and stuff like that.”

The brunette was astonished at his generosity. He was really giving him money to buy stuff for  _himself_? That concept would have been simply unimaginable for him just a few weeks ago. “Wow, really?”

“Of course.” Josh smiled at him again. “But only if you're feeling up to it, okay? Take your time. I don't want you to overexert yourself.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Josh. Really.”

Swallowing hard, he leaned over and placed a quick peck on Josh's cheek, internally hoping that it wasn't too forward or too much at one time. After all, he had to do  _something_  to express his gratitude for all that Josh had been doing for him... right?

To his surprise, though, the redhead just smiled and patted him on the side of his arm before brushing past him to head upstairs. “I'll be in my room if you need me, Tyler,” he called back behind him.

Tyler touched the spot where Josh had his hand, a tiny group of butterflies swarming around in his stomach. It was strange, peculiar and exciting all at the same time; he hadn't felt something like this since he was a teenager.

It was... nice.

*** * * * * *    * * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * ***

Tyler felt like the most blandest person ever as he sat in Fynn's ultra-modern car (technically, it was Josh's, but he gave it to Fynn to drive), gripping onto the door handle as they weaved in and out of traffic. Here he was dressed in a white tee shirt and a faded pair of jeans while riding on heated, black leather seats.

Even Fynn looked much more... put together than he did. Just like the previous day, Fynn resembled a guy fresh off the front page of some fashion magazine while he was just the underpaid lackey with mismatched socks and jeans that looked like they had been to hell and back.

Such was the chaotic life of a Keeper looking to find his heart (and Protector) again.

Fynn turned to look at Tyler, frowning as he noticed his stiff body language. “Doing okay, Tyler?”

He shrugged. “I guess. I just feel weird.”

“Are you feeling sick? Do you want me to pull over?”

He shook his head. “No, not that kind of weird. I just...” He trailed off, searching for the right words to say. “I feel emotionally exhausted. Does that even make any sense?”

Fynn nodded, a solemn expression on his face. “Yeah. It makes a lot of sense, actually.”

Tyler was glad that someone else actually... related to the madness going on inside of his mind. “I'm just tired and scared. Afraid that I'll see my old Protector somewhere and he'll try to hurt me again.”

“I won't let that happen to you,” Fynn said. “Josh made me promise to keep you safe, no matter what.”

His eyebrows raised at that statement, a bit surprised that Josh was even that... concerned about his safety. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. Josh isn't taking this lightly, you know.” Fynn's hands tightened a little around the steering wheel. “Especially when your life is on the line.”

The brunette brushed his hand up and down his arm, looking away. Inside, he really hoped that he wasn't inadvertently putting too much pressure on Josh. “Yeah, I can tell. He stayed up late with me last night, even though he had stuff to do for work. He didn't have to do that, you know...”

“I know. But with Josh... he's either all-in or he's not. There's not much of an in-between with him.” A small, distant smile appeared on Fynn's face. “Sometimes I wish I could be more like that.”

Tyler studied the side of Fynn's face, paying careful attention to the subtle hints of pain that hid in-between the smile lines on his cheeks. He wondered what this guy was all about and where he had been. How did he even wind up working for someone like Josh?

“I feel so nervous around him,” Tyler admitted. He traced a fingertip over his Keeper symbol. “Though my Time Keeper doesn't seem to mind the attention.”

“I think he's just as nervous. Last night, he told me he was going to--” Fynn cut himself off suddenly. “Never mind, I probably shouldn't tell you that.”

But those were words spoken too late. Tyler was already hooked. “Tell me what?” he asked. “What did he say?”

Fynn scratched at the back of his neck. “I really shouldn't say. I mean, it's nothing bad...”

Tyler was starting to get impatient now. “Then tell me.”

“But, Ty...”

He made a pouting face. “C'mon, Fynn-ley,” he whined, dragging the syllables in his name out.

Fynn snorted a little. “Little jerk,” he mumbled. “Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to tell Josh that I told you.”

Tyler held his pinky out, a coy look on his face. “Pinky promise on it?”

Grinning, he reached over and linked pinkies with Tyler. “Alright, pinky promise.” Letting go of his hand, he took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “So, last night, Josh told me that he's gonna officially ask to be your Protector. And if you say yes, which I have a strong feeling that you will, then he's gonna talk to you about ground rules, communication, boundaries... stuff like that.”

“Wow.”

He wasn't... entirely surprised. After all, that was one of the reasons Josh had came to his aid; he wasn't just looking for some emotionally screwed-up housemate. He truly wanted to lay it all on the line for him.

_“Even if it is too late for you, I want your last days to be spent with someone that cares about you and not here in this shelter surrounded by strangers.”_

Closing his eyes, he tried to wrap his mind around the enormity of the situation. He had spent months and months with someone who basically backed him into a corner and kept him trapped there until he finally had the courage to break away. As much as he wanted to ignore it, there were still memories and scars (emotional and physical) all over his body that he had to deal with.

As sweet as Josh seemed... how could he really be sure that it was real? His Protector was as sweet as could be too... for the first few weeks. But all of that disintegrated into something so badly damaged that it barely even counted for anything more than a bittersweet memory.

He was a Keeper. And Keepers craved... no, they  _needed_  affection. Soft touches, kisses, hugs, gentle words and even physical intimacy with each other after a certain point.

How was he supposed to give Josh the broken pieces of his heart without losing the most important parts of it?

Fynn's voice came through, bringing Tyler out of his thoughts. “Is that a scary thought for you?”

Tyler looked straight ahead, his hands folded in his lap as he tried to keep his head from spinning. “Yeah. It is.” His voice came out soft, but steady. “But I've had scarier thoughts than that..."

The blonde glanced over him at him, the concern evident on his face, but he kept silent.

“I want to be strong for him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be strong for yourself.
> 
> My interpretation of the Nico and the Niners music video is that it takes place inside/around a psychiatric hospital. That's just the vibe that I got (also from my own stint in there four years ago) from the first few frames, but hey I could be totally wrong. That's the beauty of music videos, they are creative interpretations.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this a week ago, then got overwhelmed with too many things, but I finally finished it tonight. So I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. <3

“Welcome home, Josh.”

The redhead rolled his eyes a little and smiled as he came through the front door, letting his briefcase drop into its usual spot by the potted plants. “You know, you don't have to say that every time I come home from work, Fynn.”

Fynn grinned back at him. “Hey, you know me. Service with a smile.”

“As if. How's Ty doing?”

“He's good, taking a nap on the couch right now. I took him to the department store and Walmart.” He laughed a little. “We found  _so_  much stuff on clearance, so we only had to spend $250. I put the rest of the money back on your bedside table.”

He smiled. “Awesome. Did he seem to... have fun?”

Fynn shrugged. “Kinda? He was a little talkative at times, but for the most part, he was quiet. He seemed really nervous to be out in public.”

“I think he's feeling really insecure right now. He says stuff like 'everyone hates Keepers,' so I think when he's around people like that, he feels like everyone is judging him.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I noticed he hides his arms a lot. It'll probably take him a while to regain his confidence.” He gave him a small smile. “I guess that's where you come in, huh?”

Josh let out a long sigh. “Yeah, no pressure, right?” He laughed a little. “I'm just a little scared. This is my first time doing something like this. I don't wanna mess it up and make Tyler... worse.”

“Hey.” Fynn reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Don't forget what I told you before, yeah? You're going to be fine. Tyler needs you right now, and the little things that you do for him are going to mean so much to him in the long run. It just takes communication and patience. I know you'll do great. And I'm with you all the way, okay?”

Exhaling a little, Josh nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Fynn, I needed that.”

“Of course, Josh, anytime.” Fynn jabbed his thumb towards the door. “I'm gonna get going, I have a few errands to run before I go home. Call me if you need anything, yeah? And let me know how tonight goes.”

The two said their goodbyes before Josh went into the living room to go check on Tyler. He smiled when he saw that he was still asleep, a light blanket draped over his lower body. Leaning over the couch, he pressed a tiny kiss onto his forehead. “Sweet boy,” he whispered.

Loosening his tie from around his collar, he wondered if he should leave Tyler be while he went upstairs to change and get started on replying to the hundreds of emails inside his work inbox. On one hand, he didn't want to disturb him from a peaceful sleep, but on the other hand, he didn't want him to wake up and freak out because he was by himself.

So he reached down and slid the blanket off Tyler's body, being careful not to wake him up. Sliding one arm underneath his neck and the other on the back of his knees, he scooped him up with one fell swoop. Tyler stirred around a bit, scowling a little as he rubbed at his face in his sleep, but, thankfully, settled down again.

Josh let out a relieved sigh before heading towards the staircase. It was a bit awkward maneuvering around the corners with Tyler's long legs (not withstanding the fact that he was practically dead weight right now) but he managed to make it up to his room with no casualties.

He carefully set him down on his bed, pulling the covers up over Tyler's body so that he could retain at least some heat inside those fragile bones of his. Smiling, he let his fingers drag over the covers as he walked away to his closet.

*** * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * ***

Long eyelashes fluttered open as Tyler finally woke up, groggy and out of it. His vision blurring and re-focusing, the first thing he noticed was that his head was laying on a pillow that smelled like fruity shampoo and cologne. A scent that was suspiciously similar to...

_Josh?_

Holding his head up, he saw that, indeed, he wasn't on the couch anymore, but was laying on an (even more) unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. His suspicions were confirmed when he looked across the room and saw Josh sitting at a desk on his computer, typing away.

How did he wind up in here? Wasn't he just laying down as he watched TV with Fynnley? Where was Fynn, anyway? Did something happen? Did he pass out?

Tyler's stomach turned as his thoughts went to the possibility that he might have been taken advantage of while he was asleep.  _Oh God, Josh didn't do anything to me while I was asleep, did he?_

Looking down at himself, he was relieved when he saw that all of his clothes were still on. He was virtually still the same as before... just in a different part of the house.

_Why would anyone want to touch you, anyway? Your body is disgusting._

“Shut up,” Tyler mumbled, even though he knew the voice inside his head was entirely right.

“Excuse me?”

He felt all the blood rush out of his face when he saw that Josh had turned around and was looking at him.

He tripped over his words as he tried to figure out what to say. “N-Not you, Josh, I w-was talking to myself. Wait, no, that sounds bad. Jeez...” He internally cringed at how stupid he sounded right now. “Um... hi, Joshua. How was work?”

Josh raised an eyebrow, but decided not to push the issue. “It was alright. Work is work. I'm just finishing up some emails for the day. I get way more than I can reply to sometimes.” He smiled.

“Oh...” Tyler rubbed his hand up and down his forearm. “You must be popular.”

The redhead laughed. “Not by any stretch of the imagination. People are just always asking me to do stuff. But if being the self-proclaimed office donkey is considered popular, then, yeah, I guess I am.”

“Hmm... well, I don't think you're a donkey. You seem honest and genuine. I like that about you.”

Josh's face lit up into a huge grin. “Really? You mean that?”

He nodded, giving him a tiny smile in return. “Of course. Wouldn't have said it if I didn't.”

“Well, thank you, Tyler. That means a lot to me.” Pushing his chair back, he stood up from his desk and walked over to the bed, keeping his eyes on him the entire time. “Since you're awake now... there's, um, something I wanted to talk to you about. Are you with me?”

A deep pit formed in Tyler's stomach as he realized that this was "the big talk” Fynn had told him about earlier. This was it. It was now or never.

“I'm with you.”

Tyler sat all the way up, looping his legs over each other, as Josh sat down next to him, the distance (or lack of) between them enticing, yet all the more so terrifying as they faced each other.

Honestly, Tyler just wanted to blurt out that he already knew what Josh was gonna ask him so he could spare the both of them some awkwardness, but that would be breaking his pinky promise with Fynn and he was definitely  _not_  a promise-breaker.

Josh reached over and picked up Tyler's wrist, his thumb slowly tracing over his faded symbol. Dark brown eyes followed every single movement, but his body and lips remained motionless as he waited for the older man to express whatever he had to say.

“This is your Time Keeper,” Josh stated. “It's been a part of you for so many years. It's essential to you, just like your heart or brain. You feel those ticks every second of the day, every second that you breathe.” His hands moved from Tyler's wrist to interlace with trembling, cold fingers. “I want to share that with you. I know how much you've been hurt in the past. And it's okay if you don't trust me that much at first. But I want to prove to you that you are beautiful. You are important. You are wanted. And I want to prove that, not just with my words, but with my actions. Tyler, I...” He paused, squeezing his hands and clearing his throat as he tried to keep from getting choked up. “I want to be your Protector. Would you give me that honor?”

Tyler was dumbfounded. He hae knew what Josh was going to ask him, but he hadn't expected all of... that. “Oh, my gosh,” he mumbled, his hands shaking even harder than before.

_“I want to be strong for him.”_

Before he knew it, he was lunging forward and throwing his arms around Josh, mimicking the same actions that had occurred between them just hours earlier. The emotion came out out of nowhere, hitting him like a ton of bricks as his eyelids burned with tears.

Josh was surprised, but happy nonetheless. Running his fingers through soft brown hair, he thought of a million ways to tell Tyler how he was really feeling right now, but found he wasn't pleased with any of them. So he closed his eyes and let the soft utterance of “yes” dance across the air, into his eardrums and straight into his heart, sealing a critical alliance that could make or break the two of them.

When Tyler pulled away, cheeks red and tear-stained, he couldn't bear to look at Josh as all of his insecurities came rushing back with a vengeance. “I'm so scared, Josh.” His voice came out strained and broken. “Please don't hurt me.”

“I'd rather die than even  _think_  of hurting you, sweetheart,” Josh said. “You're my Keeper. I give you my heart, okay? It's yours to hold. And I'm your Protector. If anything I say or do makes you feel weird or uncomfortable, please tell me. I mean that. And if you ever feel scared or unsure, I'm always here for you. Even if you have a nightmare at 2:00 in the morning, I'll hold you until you're not afraid anymore. And if you want to wake up early and watch the sunrise together, then heck, I'll be up and right by your side.”

Tyler smiled, a soft laugh leaving his lips. “I don't know how to respond to something as cute as that.”

Josh smiled back. “Then don't.” He leaned over and pecked a kiss onto Tyler's cheek. “Actions speak louder than words, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tyler echoed. He felt the strongest urge to lean over and kiss him, something he hadn't done in months, but he didn't want to ruin such a wonderful moment with his lack of self-control. “Hey, Josh?”

“Yes?”

“Did you really mean it when you called me cute?”

“Wouldn't have said it if I didn't.” Josh gave him a cheeky grin.

Tyler's heart pulled at the sight, his eyes casting downwards as a small smile formed on his lips.

“Good. Because I think you're cute too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins.
> 
> You don't know how much I am looking forward to writing their first kiss together haha. I was tempted to do it in this chapter but I figured all of that would be too much.
> 
> AKA, I am single and write mushy stuff send help
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all have been doing alright and that you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Levitate is not my favorite song, but I think it was intended as more of an interlude song between Jumpsuit and whatever track will follow. I appreciate how all of these singles have been vastly different from each other, though.

"Has your hair always been that blonde?"

It was the following afternoon, and Tyler and Fynnley were sitting out on the back porch, listening to the sing-song that floated down from the trees and letting the cool breeze brush across the nerve endings on their faces.

"No, my natural hair color is sort of a dirty blonde, but I bleached it a couple months ago." Fynn absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair. "I'm thinking of going darker."

"I like your hair like that. Makes your eyes stand out."

"Yeah? Thanks, Tyler."

Being out on the back porch was just a conclusion to the series of activities they had been up to since the start of the morning. Josh was working from home today and Tyler had woken up feeling sad (for reasons unbeknownst to him), so Fynn was doing his best to keep the younger boy occupied, since he knew that this was a crucial time when Tyler  _really_  needed to be with his Protector, but couldn't.

Fynn watched as Tyler pulled his legs up to his chest before resting his head on top of his knees. Even from just his body language, he could tell that Tyler had a lot on his mind.

He decided to approach the subject carefully. "Still feeling sad?"

Tyler shrugged. "Kind of. I shouldn't be. I felt happy when I went to bed last night. And I still  _am_ , I just… I don't know."

"I understand. There's been a lot going on for you lately. Are you feeling overwhelmed?"

"A little." He rubbed at the side of his face with his hand. "I guess I'm just nervous about everything." He sighed. "Josh has been so patient with me."

"Yeah?" Fynn crossed his legs, smiling a little. "I heard you guys got a little mushy last night," he teased.

Tyler looked away, a light tinge of red dusted across his cheeks. "You're such a creeper, Fynnley."

Fynn made a mock offended face at Tyler. "Me? A creeper? As if?" He leaned in a little closer to the younger boy's chair. "Tyler Joseph… are you blushing?"

"Shush," he mumbled as he tried to hide his face.

He laughed. "You're adorable." He nudged him in the side of the arm with his elbow. "You like him, don't you?"

Tyler rolled his eyes a little. "Well, he  _is_  my Protector."

"Adorable  _and_  sassy. You're double trouble, Tyler."

And just like that, Tyler's demeanor went right back from sassy to shy. "Are you flirting with me, Fynn?"

"Maybe." Fynn stuck his tongue out at him. "Nah, dude. If I were flirting with you, you wouldn't have to ask."

"Oh…" Tyler wrapped his arms around his legs, connecting his hands in the middle. "Josh has been a little flirty with me. Not that much though. I think he's scared of me."

Fynn raised an eyebrow. "Why would he be scared of you?"

"He's scared of hurting me," Tyler stated. "I'm scared too. But I'm trying to be brave for him. I keep trying to tell myself 'it's different now,' but those memories still keep coming back. My Pro-- um, old Protector always told me he would change, things would get better, we just needed to do better. But he never did. They were all lies to keep me from leaving." His eyes drifted to stare off into the distance. "Sometimes I can't believe that I put up with it for so long. I'm ashamed."

"Ashamed of what?"

"That I wasn't strong enough to leave sooner. That I let him put his hands on me all those times and never hit back." He sighed. "I'm a weak, spineless excuse for a Keeper."

"Hey. Don't say stuff like that that's not true." Fynn's voice was surprisingly stern. "It takes courage to get yourself out of a situation like that, Tyler. So many men and women are stuck in abusive relationships. Even if it took you one minute or one year to do it, you still  _did_  it. And that takes an incredibly strong person to do."

He reached out and laid his hand on Tyler's knee. "Look, I know I haven't known you for long. And I'm never going to know all of the things that you went through. But I do know that you can do this. I've known Josh for years, even before I started working for him, and he is a wonderful person. Give your heart a chance to feel again. I think it will surprise you."

Tyler was silent and motionless for a few moments, soaking in everything he said, before he finally nodded. "Thank you, Fynnley. I needed that. It means a lot to me."

"Hey, don't thank me. I'm just glad it helped some." He gave him a small smile. "I think we're going to turn out to be good friends."

Tyler returned the smile, a tiny, barely there one, but a smile nonetheless. "Ditto." He let his legs drop back down to the ground. "Um… I really wanted to kiss Josh last night."

Another eyebrow went up, this time even higher than before, and Fynn started to laugh. "Then why didn't you, silly?"

"Too nervous. And I didn't want to look desperate. Gosh, I haven't kissed anyone in months…" He ran his fingers through the top of his hair. "I can count on my hand the number of times my Protector kissed me."

"That's even more reason to kiss him then." Fynn gave him a cheeky grin. "You just gotta grab him and plant one on him!"

"Oh gosh, no," Tyler groaned, shoving his face into his hands.

A silence fell over the two of them as Tyler's mind wandered to a daydream involving a meadow of flowers, Josh, himself and their lips.

*** * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * ***

Half-past 2:00 and Tyler had just finished yet another episode of some cooking show on Netflix. Sitting outside had gotten kind of stale after awhile, and so it was onto curling up on the couch and half-watching TV while Fynn worked on organizing the cabinets in the kitchen. After all, as he told Tyler, 'he had to do at least  _some_  work today.'

Inside of his mind, he felt like he was being the laziest bum known to mankind. These past few days of doing not much of anything had been extremely unusual for him. Back with his old Protector, he never got a chance to sit down on the couch and watch some TV for more than ten minutes; all day, every day was spent cleaning, cooking and trying to make everything perfect just so his Protector could come home and mess it all back it up again.

But it had to be perfect for him. Nothing less was expected, nor tolerated. He could wake up, turn all of the cupboards inside out, and he would  _still_  expect it to be absolutely immaculate by the time he got home from work.

House clean, dinner ready, can of beer opened and quiet, submissive Keeper/house slave at his beck and call.

Tyler thought about getting up and asking Fynn if he needed any help. After all, he had to do something, right? If he was gonna live here with Josh, he needed to pull his weight. But he already knew that the answer would be no. 'Lay down and relax,' he would say. 'Keep your mind off things.'

Amazing how such a mind-numbing activity like watching TV could also make your thoughts go absolutely haywire.

"I didn't know you liked cooking shows."

Tyler looked up over the couch to see Josh walking into the living room, and his heart leaped just a little bit at the sight. "I-I've never watched many of them," he responded. "Fynn suggested it for me to watch. It's a pretty okay series, though."

"Good. Fynn has pretty decent taste in TV shows. Me, on the other hand…" He smiled before circling around the couch and leaning down, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. "How are you feeling now, sweetheart? Any better?"

Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "I'm okay. Just sore right now."

Josh frowned a little. "Sore?"

"Yeah, my Time Keeper is still really low, so I'm starting to get some aches and pains on-and-off. The lower it gets, the worse that my body starts to feel. But seeing where I was at before… I'm feeling a whole lot better."

"I'm sorry, Tyler. Speaking of your Time Keeper and how you've been feeling… I wanted to talk to you about something." He ran a few fingers through the "floof" on the top of Tyler's head. "Is now a good time for you?"

"Of course, Joshua." Sitting up, he made room for Josh to sit down and reached for the remote to turn off the TV. "Is something going on?" He frowned. "Did I do something wrong? I'm really sorry if I did."

"Not at all, sweet boy. You did nothing wrong. It's more about me, actually." He reached over and took Tyler's hands into his, interlacing their fingers together. "You with me?"

His voice was slow and soft, and it immediately put Tyler at ease for whatever was about to come. "I'm with you."

"First of all, I want to say that I'm sorry. You woke up in a not-so-good mood this morning and I was too busy working to come talk it out and spend time with you. So I apologize for that. I'm sure Fynn has been keeping you company, but I know it's not the same as your Protector. This is my first day on the job, so to speak, and I'm stinking it up already."

Tyler couldn't help but to laugh a little at his choice of words. Still, he felt so bad for making him think he was doing a poor job as a Protector. "You're not stinking up anything, Josh. I understand you have to work and I appreciate all of the effort that you're putting in to make me comfortable."

"Thank you, Ty, but it's still not an excuse. You are more important to me right now. So I'm taking the next week or two off of work, using my vacation time. Because we need to focus on getting to know each other and just… bonding. This is so new for both of us, and I want to get it right."

Tyler was a bit speechless. He was really taking time off… to be with  _him_?

"Oh, my gosh. A-Are you sure?"

"Positive. Hey, people take time off to get married or have a kid. I don't see how taking time off to connect with your Keeper is any different." He smiled and gave his hands a light squeeze. "Does that sound okay to you, sweetie?"

The brunette nodded, keeping his eyes on Josh. Who could possibly disagree with something like that? Still, a small, insignificant question lingered in the back of his mind.

_What were they going to do now?_

"Do you like ice cream?"

Tyler gave him a curious look. "I haven't had any in ages."

Josh smiled. "Let's get some ice cream then. Just you and me."

A weird feeling washed over Tyler's skin at the thought of being alone with his new Protector. He wasn't scared of Josh, per say, but more so of all the things that could happen.

"What about Fynn?"

Josh leaned over and placed a tiny kiss on Tyler's cheek. "I think he'll be okay for a little while. He's a big boy." He flashed Tyler a teasing grin. "So how about it, hun?"

The brunette couldn't help but to smile back, the spot where Josh's lips had been burning a little. "Absolutely." His voice came out soft, but high with excitement. "I'll go find my shoes."

"Take your time, sweetheart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much wonderful fanart and fanfiction in this fandom, and I'm just sitting here like a talentless turtle lol
> 
> It's okay, though. I appreciate everyone that reads my little collection of insignificant words.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this all weekend, so two chapters at once. Another idea for a story has been floating around my head for months, but I haven't figured out quite how to start it.

"This guy sells great ice cream. I'm sure you'll love it."

Tyler tried his best to keep up with Josh as he led him over to a small ice cream stand in the middle of the park. They had arrived just ten or so minutes earlier, and Tyler was already so mesmerized by the scenery. He had spent most of his life here in this city, yet he had never been to this park even once.

Did he even really know his hometown? Or was it all just some sort of blurred facade that he had spent years trying to navigate through?

When it was their turn to order, Tyler suddenly felt a bit too shy to speak up, so he let Josh take the lead.

"I'll have one strawberry cone," the older man said. "And which one would you like, Ty?"

"Vanilla," he replied softly.

"One vanilla and one strawberry," the ice cream man repeated before smiling. "Great, that'll be $4.00."

Tyler stood off to the side, feeling a bit awkward, as Josh paid the man and waited for their cones. A considerable line was starting to form behind them, full of couples and moms and dads with children, and he began to worry that any one of them might notice his Keeper symbol. So he turned around, pulled the sleeves on his jacket down as far as they would go and crossed his arms across his chest, willing himself completely invisible and out of harm's way.

"You okay, Tyler?"

He turned back around and there was Josh with two ice cream cones in hand and a concerned look on his face. Feeling embarrassed at how weird he was being right now, he accepted the ice cream from Josh and nodded, remaining otherwise silent.

The redhead wasn't fooled, however, so he placed a comforting hand on the boy's back. "C'mon, follow me," he said, smiling.

Tyler obliged and followed him a way's down the path until it split off into a fork. They took the second pathway and walked for a few more minutes before their destination finally came into view.

_A playground…?_

"Aren't we a little too… big for that?" Tyler asked.

Josh grinned. "You're never too big for the swings!"

He watched as Josh took off running towards the swing set, leaving him in the dust. He really couldn't be bothered to chase after him, especially when he was eating his ice cream, so he just chuckled and made his way over there at his own pace.

When he finally got over there, Josh was already swinging, licking his ice cream with one hand as he held onto the seat chains with the other.

"You're gonna make yourself sick," Tyler warned as he sat down on the other swing, careful to avoid dripping the remnants of his quickly melting cone onto his jeans.

"I'll be fine," he said, smiling. "It takes serious skills to swing and eat without getting sick!"

Tyler smiled at Josh's antics. He sure had an interesting Protector to get used to. Was this really the man he was going to devote his whole life and heart to? If things kept going the way that they were… then, yes. He would gladly let himself fall.

After a while, Josh stopped swinging and they just pushed their shoes back and forth in the wood chips as they finished their ice cream cones.

"You've got some strawberry on your face," Tyler teased, laughing a little as he reached over to wipe it with the corner of his sleeve.

"Thank you." Josh smiled. "Should have kissed it away instead, cutie."

Tyler giggled, soft and sweet, as he looked away, feeling shy all over again. "You're silly, Josh."

"Am I?" Josh twisted himself around on the swing so that his body was facing Tyler's. "Maybe you're silly."

He giggled again. "Am not." 

"You have the cutest little laugh. It's precious." He gently knocked Tyler's knee with his own. "And I love it when you smile. You look absolutely breathtaking."

Tyler held his fingers up to his mouth, feeling a bit self-conscious. "I have a horrible smile. My bottom teeth are so crooked."

"So? Everyone's teeth are a little crooked."

"As if. You have, like, the straightest teeth ever."

"Also the biggest teeth ever." He pointed to his mouth. "Like, have you seen these front teeth?" He laughed, making Tyler chuckle. "See, no one has a perfect smile, lovebug. No matter how big, small, straight, crooked it is… it's yours and it is unique to you. And I think that is absolutely beautiful."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Did you just call me 'lovebug?'"

"Hey, I thought it was cute." Josh grinned. "Don't ruin my mushy moment, Joseph."

Tyler smiled back, a bit more naturally this time, as he reached over and laid his hand on top of Josh's. "Thank you, Joshua. Really. That means a lot. And I like your smile too, it's so pretty."

"Aww, thank you, Ty." A comfortable air of silence settled between the two of them before Josh decided that he wanted to move someplace a bit more… comfortable. "Hey, you wanna go sit on the jungle gym?"

"Sure."

The pair managed to climb up the steps to the jungle gym before settling down on the landing between the monkey bars and the slide. It was a tight fit, but not uncomfortable at all for two boys that were enjoying each other's comapny.

"I'm surprised there aren't any kids over here," Tyler said as he looked out at the otherwise peaceful landscape surrounding the playground.

"They all go to the main playground at the front of the park," Josh said. "This one's a bit more hidden, so not a whole lot of people know about it. I used to come here a lot when I was a kid and it became sort of my spot to go when I was older and needed some time to myself." He chuckled lightly. "Not the most conventional thinking spot, I know, but it works."

"Do you think a lot?" Tyler asked. When Josh gave him a puzzled look, he elaborated further. "Like, do you find yourself overthinking stuff? Almost like you're lost in your thoughts and can't find your way out?"

"All day, every day." Josh laughed. "I don't express it a lot, but there's always something going on inside my head. I'm either thinking or worrying or panicking."

Tyler kept his eyes on Josh, silently urging him to go on, so the older man took the cue and continued.

"I have problems with anxiety," he explained. "I have medication I take for it, but some days are better than others. It makes me feel like a zombie some days. I know I'm alive… but am I really? Sometimes it just feels like--"

 "You're existing, but not really living," Tyler finished for him. "I know, I feel the same way too. There's a lot of self-doubt that comes with it. Nothing feels completely whole. Is the glass half-full or is it half-empty, you know?"

Josh nodded slowly, amazed at their unspoken synchronicity. "Exactly. That makes total sense."

Tyler scooched a little closer to Josh and let his head rest on his shoulder. "Broken, but not incomplete," he said softly. "Not anymore. We have each other now, right? You're my half, and I'm your half."

"Right." Josh wrapped his arm around Tyler's shoulder and settled back into the comfortable embrace, a light sigh leaving his lips. "Bear with me, though. I'm still brand new at this though."

"It's okay." Tyler tilted his head so that he could look up into Josh's eyes. "We'll learn together."

As Josh gazed back into Tyler's brown, almost doe-like eyes, he felt an unmistakable pull, one that he hadn't felt since his last relationship, but that he knew very, very well.

"I really want to kiss you right now," he whispered as he nudged his forehead against Tyler's, his eyelashes brushing against the tiny little hairs on the younger boy's face. "I've wanted to kiss you since yesterday, actually."

"Me too," Tyler admitted, another light blush dusted across his cheeks. "I can't promise I'll be great."

"Neither can I." Josh laughed.

"Should we sit up?" Tyler asked. "I don't want you to get a crick in your neck from leaning down."

Josh smiled. "Whatever's most comfortable for you, darling. You call the shots, yeah?"

So Tyler sat up, moving his body so that he faced Josh head-on, splaying his hands across the older boy's knees. "I'm so nervous," he mumbled as he looked away.

"It's okay," Josh whispered as he leaned in closer to him. "It's so okay."

Tyler closed his eyes, moving in closer as well, and every fiber in his body relaxed all at once when Josh's lips touched against his. It was simple, it was sweet, it was just right. It was exactly how he had imagined it to be and even more.

After a few soft kisses, Tyler smiled as he pulled away, his cheeks now painted a dark red.

"Wow," he breathed out, a blissfully ecstatic look on his face.

Josh returned the smile, intertwining their fingers together once more as he leaned in to press a quick kiss to Tyler's forehead. "Wow," he repeated. "How do you feel? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm okay."

And for once, Tyler actually believed it himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flirting, anxiety and first kisses. Tyler is so shy, I can't stand it. I love it though.
> 
> I wanted their first kiss to be soft and I hope I achieved that.
> 
> Thank you guys for all of your continued support. And as always, thank you so much for reading. <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you guys are still enjoying this concept. I don't receive a lot of feedback (compared to other works on here) on each chapter, so I'm not sure if you all love it or hate it. Haha.
> 
> But I want to say a huge thank you to those that have left such sweet comments. You don't know how much that truly means to me. Thank you so much. <3

 “You know, Josh, no one likes a cheater!”

“As if, Fynn! It's not my fault you can't drive straight!”

Tyler watched the “battle to the death” unfold between Fynn and Josh as they raced against each other in Mario Kart. Normally, he wouldn't mind joining in the fun, but alas... he was sick.

It had all started a day after him and Josh's trip to the park (which, even days later, he was still re-living that moment on the playground over and over again). He was absolutely fine that evening, but by morning, he had a scratchy throat, a runny nose and a fever. So, from there, it was Tylenol, blankets and snot.

Tyler attributed it to his Time Keeper being at such a low point for a long time, Josh guessed that it was probably something he picked up from the playground, and Fynn just tried his best to keep one sick boy comfortable and the other boy from getting sick.

So, for the past few days, Josh and Fynn had been acting as Tyler's “nurses.” Chicken noodle soup, throat lozenges, thermometers, multiple boxes of Kleenex, and a whole lot of cold medication. And, in-between it all, they took turns keeping him company; watching movies, playing video games and board games, listening to music, and telling stories. And even when he dozed in and out throughout the day, they still kept a careful eye on him.

Despite the fact that he felt horrible, Tyler dared to say that this was the most relaxing three days that he had had in a long time. He was so incredibly grateful that Josh and Fynn were sacrificing their time to be with him (and splitting duties, like cooking and cleaning, in-between as they watched him) and he wondered what he could possibly do to pay them back after he was well again.

“What do you think, Tyler?” The sound of his name brought Tyler out of his thoughts and back into what was going on. “Is Josh a cheater? I swear to God he's rigged the game.”

Tyler smiled a little and shrugged. “I can't talk bad about my Protector, Fynn.”

“Well, yeah, but he's a cheater!”

Josh rolled his eyes. “Fynn, you're such a sore loser, you should know by now not to play with the Mario Kart master.”

Tyler pulled his blanket a bit further up on him and sniffled as he listened to the two boys banter about video games and “rigged controllers.” His head was starting to hurt a little from all of the excitement, but he really wouldn't have it any other way. He felt the safest when he was in the middle of their corny jokes and sarcastic remarks.

It had been so long since he could smile so freely and easily, even if the smiles weren't as big as they had been when he was a child, caught in a blissful unawareness of the world around him.

Letting his eyes slip closed, the conversation faded into the background as he drifted into a light sleep. Sometimes he felt like all he did was sleep, yet he never felt any more rested than he did before. He couldn't figure out whether it was from chronic exhaustion, depression or something else that he just couldn't put his finger on.

Regardless of the cause, he just hoped and prayed that Josh didn't think he was some lazy freeloader that slept all the time. He didn't want to lose his Protector's approval. His body was too weak to endure something like that all over again...

After what seemed like only a minute, he opened his eyes to see that the TV was off, Fynn had disappeared and Josh was now over on the other couch, scrolling away on his phone.

He held his head up a little, clearing his throat before trying to speak. "Joshua?"

Josh looked up and smiled. "Hey sleepy-head. How are you feeling?"

"My throat's really dry." He cleared his throat again. "Must have been sleeping with my mouth open."

"Yeah, you were catching some flies, sweetheart." He chuckled. "You looked adorable, though."

Tyler blushed at the comment. He knew that Josh wasn't judging him in any shape or form, yet he still felt rather embarrassed at the fact that he probably had looked incredibly stupid like that.

Josh noticed the uncomfortable look on Tyler's face, so he decided to get up and come closer to the younger boy. Crouching down, he pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "Would you like some more orange juice? Might help your throat."

Tyler nodded, his doe eyes looking more bigger than usual as he looked up at Josh. "Yes please."

Josh smiled. "You're so cute." He pressed another quick kiss to his forehead. "Be right back."

After he walked out the room, Tyler decided to sit up and reach for his box of tissues so he could try and get some more of the congestion out. By the time Josh came back from the kitchen, he could breathe a little better and his ears weren't as stopped up as before.

"Where's Fynn at?" Tyler asked as he accepted the cup into his hands. "Thank you, Josh."

Josh took a seat next to Tyler. "He ran out to pick up my dry cleaning. My parents are forcing me to go out to dinner with them on Friday night, so I have to put on my Sunday best."

"Oh…" Tyler took a sip of his juice. "What are your parents like?"

"Overbearing. A bit judgmental. Remember when I told you my parents are relatively well-off? Well, they tend to… how do I say this…" He sighed. "…They look down on anyone that has less money than them."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Josh shook his head. "Unfortunately."

That told him right from the start that he wouldn't be the type of person Josh's parents would exactly… go for. He could only dream of being able to afford a house like this or... well, anything nice, really.

"Then what do they do if they meet someone richer than them?" Tyler asked.

Josh laughed. "Well, then it'll be an all-out war. They can't be outdone by  _anyone_. It's "Keeping Up With the Duns" to the nth degree."

Tyler couldn't help but to start laughing at that, which quickly turned into a half-coughing/half-laughing fit. "Your family sounds really interesting," he said between coughs.

"Oh, you don't even know, Ty." Josh smiled. "Great to see you laughing, by the way. I know you've been feeling so miserable lately."

"Thank you." Tyler smiled back. "I love your laugh."

"And I love yours." Josh leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Love your smile, love your lips in general."

"Yeah?" Tyler felt his cheeks start to heat up again, though it was more pleasant this time.

"Sure do. You have the softest lips. It's a shame I've only gotten to kiss them once," he said, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Tyler's neck.

Tyler giggled at the contact. "Josh-u-aaa," he whined, dragging out the last syllable. "That tickles."

"Hmm?" Josh nuzzled him again, this time pressing a closed-mouth to his neck. "I can't help it. You're too sweet. Just wanna eat you up."

"You're making my Time Keeper go crazy," he mumbled, feeling a bit breathless at all of the affection being showered upon him. "I want to kiss you."

Josh chuckled and mouthed another light kiss onto the nape of his neck. "Then kiss me, lovebug."

"Germs." Tyler let his eyes close a little as tingles ran up and down his arms. "Don't wanna get you sick."

"I already told you, sweetheart, I don't care if I get sick." He reached over and took his hand into his own. "Getting to kiss you would make it all worth it."

"But germs," Tyler whined again. "What if you get sick?"

"Then we'll be sick together." Josh smiled, squeezing his hand. "So sick."

Tyler laughed a little. "I think Fynn would probably quit if he had to take care of both of us."

"Probably. He'd be back though." Josh laughed.

The younger boy let his head fall back onto the couch cushions and he sighed. "Yeah," he said. "I want to kick this already. M'tired of all the coughing and snot."

"I know, darling. We'll get you through this, yeah?" The redhead let go of Tyler's hand and instead wrapped his arm around him. "Just keep drinking and resting."

He nodded. "Thank you, Josh."

"No need to thank me, sweet boy. You want me to get you anything?"

Tyler looked down, his fingers brushing across his bottom lip. "Want a kiss," he mumbled.

"I can go to the store and get you all the Kisses you want," Josh teased. "I'll get the party size bag."

Tyler smiled. "You're silly."

Josh's free hand went up to Tyler's face, cupping his chin with his fingers. "And you're lovely."

Tyler knew that if Josh kept this up, it would probably be the absolute death of him. "Thank you," he breathed out.

"C'mere," Josh murmured as he moved his head in closer.

Any thoughts of the germs being exchanged between them escaped from Tyler's mind as they shared a few, soft kisses, mimicking their first one together. The younger boy tried his best to breathe through his nose as he shifted around in the kiss, linking his arms around Josh's neck. Another shot of tingles went up and down his arms when Josh's hands started to roam across his face, fingers brushing over his earlobes and the curve of his neck.

Tyler was starting to lay back onto the couch, Josh's body moving in even closer to his, when a loud 'ahem' echoed through the otherwise quiet room.

They pulled away to see Fynn standing in the doorway, eyebrows raised to the ceiling. "Jeez, can't even leave you two alone for thirty minutes…"

Josh rolled his eyes, settling back into his seat on the couch. "Fynn, you are such a creeper. I literally didn't even hear you come in the house."

Fynn shrugged before grinning. "I can be quiet when I need to be. Especially when I'm walking in on you two lovebirds making out."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "Wanna join? I think we ought to spread some of the germs to you, Fynnley."

"As if, Dun. I'll take care of Tyler, no problem, but I am  _not_ taking care of you because you whine too much when you get sick."

"Says the man that acts like he can't walk for three days if he stubs his toe."

And with that, they were off again, leaving the younger boy a congested, elated, blushing mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josh is affectionate, and Tyler is loving it so much. Writing that part gave me butterflies, though I'm not sure why because I am single and have never been in a real relationship. Lol.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been working on this all day because I am a lonely, sappy, turned-on mess.
> 
> With that being said, this chapter will have some mild NSFW content. It's nothing explicit, though, and my intent was for it to be rather soft, so I hope that you enjoy it nonetheless.

By the time Friday came around, Tyler was feeling considerably better. He still had a little bit of a lingering cough, but his fever, sore throat and congestion were all but gone.

Much to his surprise, Josh had gotten a little sniffly for a day or two, but he didn't come down with anything. Fynn was glad that he didn't have to take care of two sick boys, but Tyler was just glad that he didn't get sick, especially right before the dinner with his parents.

Speaking of Josh… Tyler hadn't seen him since earlier that afternoon. Granted, he had been in his room for a while, but it was typical of Josh to at least come and visit him throughout the day.

 _Maybe he's busy,_  Tyler thought.  _After all, he has a life too. It's not just all about being my Protector._

He really hoped that he wasn't being a pest. Josh had never gave him a reason to even  _think_  that, but that was his brain for him, overthinking everything as usual.

Sighing, he kicked his legs over to the side of the bed. At this point, the only way he could find out was to go and see for himself, right?

When he poked his head out the doorway, he saw that the door to Josh's room was closed. That struck him as odd, since it was usually open, even when he was in there.

Tip-toeing down the hallway, he crept up to the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. As he listened for any signs of movement, he hoped that this wouldn't turn into one of those inopportune times when Fynn showed up out of absolutely nowhere.

Just as his knuckle was about to knock on the door, he heard what sounded like...

A moan?

Tyler froze, not sure if his mind was just playing tricks on him. He leaned in closer to the door again, and sure enough, he could just  _barely_  make out the sound of soft moaning.

Every possibility ran through his head at once.  _Was there somebody in there with him? Was Josh cheating on him?_  He hadn't heard anyone else besides Fynn come into the house.  _Was it Fynn in there with him? Was he having a threesome with him and someone else?_

A considerably louder moan came through the door and there was no mistaking what was said next. "Yeah, Ty, just like that, baby boy…"

All of the blood in his body rushed to his face just as all of the air rushed out of his lungs. Backing away from the door, he tried to decide whether he should run back to his room, curl up into a ball on the floor or just die right then and there. All of the above sounded good to him right now.

Somehow or another, he wound up hurrying downstairs, desperate to find the one person who he knew could make some sense of everything.

He found Fynn in the laundry room, throwing clothes into the washing machine. The blonde looked up when he saw him and almost immediately frowned at the bewildered look on his face.

"Are you okay, Ty?"

Tyler went around in circles with his response. "Yes. No. I don't know." He tried to hide his still burning face in his hands. "I'm so embarrassed."

Fynn sat the laundry basket down on the floor. "Why? What happened?"

"Well, I, um…" His hands dropped down as he looked away, not sure if he could say it. "Josh, uh…"

The older man raised his eyebrows. "Yeah…?"

"Um, I heard… noises? Noises, yeah, coming out of his room."

"Noises?"

Tyler huffed a little. "You're killing me, Fynn."

"What? I'm just asking."

"They were noises of the…" Tyler paused as he searched for the right words. "... Interesting kind."

He raised another eyebrow before crossing his arms. "Wait a second… are you saying that you were eavesdropping on Josh masturbating?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping! I was going to see what he was doing, and his door was closed, and then I heard… stuff." Tyler looked away again.

Fynn stifled a laugh. "Okay. So why did that freak you out so much?"

"Because he was…" Tyler's face began to sting more, if that was even possible. "He was saying my name," he said quickly before scrunching his eyes closed.

"Tyler…" Fynn's voice came out soft, but calming. "You do know that you're Josh's Keeper, and effectively, his boyfriend, right?"

Tyler opened his eyes again and nodded. "I do."

"Then I think that's a little natural." Fynn smiled. "Especially since you two have been so affectionate with each other lately. I mean, no offense, but I would be jerking off too if I were kissing a guy like Josh all the time."

The younger boy felt like hiding his face again; his body couldn't handle all of this embarrassment. "It's still a little weird, though," he mumbled.

"Have you ever tried it?"

Tyler gave him a blank stare. "Tried what?"

Fynn paused, returning the stare. "Uh… touching yourself?"

"Oh…" He scratched at the back of his neck. "No, not really. The most I touch it is when I'm in the shower washing," he murmured. "I don't know how."

The blonde was absolutely stunned at his admission. Mumbling a curse word underneath his breath, he let out a sigh. "Jeez, um, okay, well no wonder you're a little freaked out then. I don't get it; you're 20 years old, don't you have like 50 hard-ons a day?"

Tyler shook his head. "No, not really. It doesn't happen a lot, and when it does, I just wait till it goes away or try to distract myself with something else." He cleared his throat. "Um, my old Protector never touched me. We kissed a lot in the beginning, but that was it. He told me that my body disgusted him, so we were never intimate with each other."

He looked down at the floor.  "When you're getting hit on a daily basis, after a while, the hormones just sort of… fade. So whenever I do get… aroused, I keep hearing him tell me, 'Your body is gross, no one would ever want to be with you.' And well, that stuff just kind of gets to you after a while, I suppose."

Fynn reached over and laid a hand on his shoulder, a concerned look on his face. "Hey… Your body is  _not_  disgusting. Trust me. Any guy would be lucky to have the chance to be with you. You're cute, sweet, funny and such a caring person. That may not mean a whole lot coming from me, but I just want you to know that. Don't be afraid to get to know your body and discover what  _you_ like."

"Thank you, Fynnley," he said. "It does mean a lot. I don't know what I'd do without you guys…"

He smiled. "Your life would probably be a lot less exciting."

"Yeah." Bending his big toe against the floor, he fiddled around with his fingers. "So, um… does touching yourself feel that nice?"

He stifled a laugh. "Why don't you go ask Josh?"

The brunette shook his head. "No way. But hey…" He looked up at him with big, pleading eyes. "Could you maybe… teach me?"

"God, you're so innocent." Fynn cleared his throat before bending down to pick up the laundry basket again. "Yeah, I think that's something you ought to ask Josh about. I know you mean well, but I'm not about to get my ass kicked."

"Language, Fynn."

"Sorry." He grinned. "What I  _will_  say is that there's a bottle of lube in your bathroom drawer. Just in case you get curious later." He gave him a wink.

"Oh, my gosh," Tyler mumbled as he buried his face into his hands again.

*** * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * ***

Fresh out of the shower, Tyler laid on the cool sheets and stared down at himself, nothing on his body but his new pair of boxer briefs.

He really wished Josh was here right now for some… moral support. Though he would be way too embarrassed to do anything, anyway.

He had the house to himself, and nothing but time on his hands. So that, combined with Fynn's not-so-subtle suggestion, made him want to at least… attempt to try something.

Laying his hand across his crotch, he wondered how he was even supposed to get started. He knew he had to be  _hard_ , of course, but how was he supposed to get to that point?

Maybe if Josh was here kissing him, it would be easier, but alas… he was at dinner with his parents, unaware of the mischief that his Keeper was getting himself into.

His mind went to Josh and how strong, yet gentle his hands were. How safe and warm he felt when Josh was nuzzling and kissing his neck earlier in the week. Ever since that happened, he really wanted him to do it again, but he was much too shy to bring it up again.

Closing his eyes, his thoughts drifted to what more could have happened that day had Fynnley not interrupted them. The skin around his Keeper symbol started to tingle as his imagination picked up where real life had left off.

*** * * * * ***

_Tyler let himself be laid down onto the couch, his hands reaching up to tangle in Josh's hair. An overwhelming feeling of warmth came over him as the redhead rested his body on top of his._

_He blushed when he felt something pressing against his thigh, a little pleased that his Protector was feeling the same way that he did._

_Josh leaned down and whispered in his ear. "I feel you, baby boy."_

_"I feel you too," he whispered back._

_He opened his mouth to say something else, but it all left his mind when Josh moved to his neck, trailing soft, wet kisses across the still red skin._

_A soft moan left Tyler's lips, his head tilting to the side as he closed his eyes. "J-Josh," he moaned._

_*** * * * * *** _

By this point, Tyler's imagination ran out of fuel (mainly due to his lack of experience) and he drifted back into reality. His hand was halfway into his underwear, gently rubbing pre-cum over the tip. He thought about getting up to get the lube that Fynn had mentioned to him, but he didn't want to risk losing what he had going, so he stuck his fingers in his mouth and tried his best to make them as wet as possible.

Sliding his underwear down, he stared at his dick as it stood to attention against his tummy. He had seen it a million times, of course, but it was still just so weird seeing it like  _this_.

Blushing, he wondered what Josh looked like down there. He was probably so much bigger than him. Not that he knew how long his was anyway…

As he wrapped a hand around himself, he began to hope to God that this wouldn't be the time that Josh would come home early from dinner. If he walked in on him, he knew for a  _certainty_  that he would die of embarrassment.

His left hand drifted across his chest as his right hand started to move up and down. There was still a bit too much friction, so he wet the palm of his hand instead and tried it again.

He let out a long, shuddery breath as he settled into a slow, but steady rhythm. Inside of his arm, he felt his Time Keeper start to tick even faster.

Tyler wished that Josh were here with him right now, kissing him and guiding him through everything. But he also knew that this was a private moment of self-exploration, so he tried his best to keep his mind on the task at hand.

A soft moan left his lips when the side of his fingers brushed against a particularly sensitive spot on the underside of his dick. Running his left thumb over his nipple, he squirmed a little at the pleasant feeling that ran from his groin down to the tip of his toes.

He thought about when he had heard Josh moaning, how nice his name sounded coming off of his lips like that.

"Joshua," he whispered, cheeks burning at how silly he must have sounded. "J-Josh..."

He imagined the older man's lips on his neck, kissing away until he couldn't stand it anymore, and his hands roaming up and down the unexplored areas on his body.

Within a few minutes, Tyler felt his stomach start to tighten up, his Keeper symbol practically burning inside of his arm. The faster he went, the more his insides felt like they were going to explode. Adjusting his hand so that his fingers went over  _that_  spot again, his other hand clawed at the sheets beneath him as everything started to fall apart.

His body twisting to the side, he buried his face in his pillow as he struggled to breathe through the waves and waves of pleasure crashing over top of him. Panting harder than he ever had before, he felt like he was drowning, dying and being re-born all at the same time.

"Josh, Josh, Josh," he moaned out into the fabric, his calves cramping up from how tightly he was squeezing his toes.

When he took his face out of the pillow a few moments later, he opened his eyes to a chest covered in sweat and cum. Still struggling to catch his breath, he turned over onto his side and curled up into a ball, his head dizzy with hormones and post-orgasm elation.

"Wow," he breathed out.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone started to buzz over on the nightstand. Rolling back over, he picked it up and saw that it was… Josh?

_Perfect timing._

Tyler cleared his throat before accepting the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, Tyler!"

The younger boy smiled at the sound of Josh's voice. "Hi, Josh. How was dinner?"

"Boring, as always." He laughed. "I'm driving home, so I figured I'd give you a call and see how you were doing. Oh, I brought back leftovers if you want to try and eat some."

"Yeah, I might try some."

There was a brief pause before Josh spoke again. "Were you asleep? Your voice is all raspy."

"Uh…" Tyler's shyness began to come back with an absolute vengeance. "Not exactly." He tried his best to change the tone of his voice so that it sounded more normal and less like 'Why yes, Josh, I  _was_  just touching myself for the first time, thank you for noticing.'

"You sound like you're out of…" Josh's voice trailed off and Tyler could almost  _feel_  the sudden realization through the phone. "Ty-ler," he said in a sing-song voice.

Tyler tried his best to play coy, but failed miserably. "Yes, Joshua?"

"Was my sweet boy being naughty?" he teased.

“Maybe a little...” His fingers went up to his lips. “Hey, you started it.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I heard you touching yourself earlier today.”

“Oh.” Josh let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I thought I was being pretty quiet about it."

Tyler thought about telling him that he had been listening outside of his door, but he decided against it. “Yeah, heard you saying my name, calling me 'baby boy' and stuff,” he mumbled, teeth gently biting down on the tip of his finger. “I liked that."

“Yeah?” Josh's voice tilted a little and Tyler felt like he could go again just from that.

“Yeah,” he repeated. “Makes me feel like I'm yours.”

“You are mine... baby boy.” Tyler could hear the smile in his voice. “So, uh... did you have fun?” He chuckled. “Sorry, I just realized that probably sounded super awkward.”

“No, it's not awkward.” Tyler bit his bottom lip. “I did. It was my first time, actually.”

Josh made a strained noise before clearing his throat. “Seriously? That was your first time masturbating?”

Tyler nodded before he realized that Josh couldn't see him. “Mhm. I'm a virgin, in case you couldn't tell. I don't have much experience in... well, anything.”

“Jeez, babe, judging from the way that you kiss me, I couldn't tell at all.” Josh laughed a little. “I think that's sweet that you're still a virgin."

He was surprised at that. “Really?”

“Yes, really. How did all of it feel for you?”

“Amazing,” he breathed out. “I had no clue what I was doing and it only lasted a few minutes, but I liked it.”

“I'm glad you liked it, lovebug. I'm proud of you for trying something new.”

He giggled. “Thank you, Josh. I'm in a cuddly mood now, though.”

“That's the oxytocin working its magic.” Josh chuckled. “I'll be home in a little bit. Then we can cuddle after you eat.”

“Okay.” Tyler turned over onto his side, fingers going back up to his lips. The  _tick, tick, tick_  in his arm reminded him of the new, growing bond between the two of them.

“I miss you, Joshua,” he said softly.

“I miss you too, Tyler. See you soon, okay?”

“See you soon,” he whispered back, a deep, but pleasant ache settling in over his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell Fynn is crushing on Tyler a little? It's all innocent, though, so don't worry.
> 
> It will be a little while before anything sexual happens between Tyler and Josh, I want them to take their time getting to know each other's bodies. Especially Tyler, since he is still learning and needs time to open himself up to Josh like that, considering what he's been through. I figured this would be a good starting point for him, though.
> 
> I appreciate all of your support, kudos and lovely comments. Love you guys so much, I hope that you all are still enjoying this. And as always, thank you so much for reading. <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been very sad lately and my medicine isn't helping me. I wish I had more of a support system in my life. It seems like nobody cares unless you are a 'somebody,' online or in real life.
> 
> Anyway, enough about me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Sunday came around quickly and brought along a 90% chance of rain with it. Even at 8:00 in the morning, it seemed more like nighttime with how dark and stormy it was outside.

Tussled hair and a yawn on the tip of his lips, Josh shuffled through the kitchen, making his usual cup of coffee. He was glad that he didn't have anything planned for today because, honestly, he just wanted to crawl back into bed for the rest of the day.

After he finished making his coffee, he took out another mug for Tyler. Much to his amusement, the younger boy had picked up his coffee habit, and now they were going through it twice as fast as before.

He didn't mind, though. Anything to make Tyler feel a little bit more normal inside. If there was only one thing that he deserved, it was to feel more like the lovely man that he was.

Mugs in hand, he left the kitchen and climbed the stairs, set on waking Tyler up with kisses and caffeine, provided that he wasn't already awake by now.

To his pleasure, he found the young boy still asleep in bed, curled up in his usual blanket burrito. He almost looked too cute to wake up, but hey, his coffee wasn't going to drink itself.

Sitting down on the other side of the bed, Josh placed the cups down on the bedside table before scooting in a bit closer. Leaning his forehead against Tyler's, his heart pulled as he listened to the younger boy's tiny snores.

Everything about this boy was so quiet, gentle and soft that he wondered if there was even a loud molecule inside of his body. The closest he had seen it was when he and Fynn got into a bickering match over something stupid, and Tyler finally had to jump in the middle to break it up. But even then... he had been nowhere close to loud.

Josh pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before moving down to his ear and whispering, “Good morning, angel.”

Tyler stirred around a little before opening his eyes. He gave Josh a few slow blinks, his mind obviously still stuck between dream and reality. “H-Hey,” he rasped out.

Josh brushed a stray hair back behind his ear and smiled. “Hi, Ty Guy.” Leaning down, he nuzzled his nose into the side of Tyler's neck. “Can I have a kiss?”

“Eww, morning breath,” Tyler said, giving him a sleepy smile.

“So? It's not gonna kill me.” Josh attacked his neck with tiny kisses, making the younger boy squirm and giggle. “Not having a good morning kiss from my baby boy is gonna kill me.”

Still giggling, his hands came out from underneath the blanket to tangle themselves in Josh's hair, memorizing the way that his curls wrapped around his fingertips. “Yeah? I'm your baby boy?”

“All day, every day, baby boy.” Josh smiled.

Tyler brushed his fingers over the older man's ears, still absolutely amazed at the fact that he had such a wonderful man next to him right now. “You're being so sweet this morning,” he mumbled, an almost delirious smile on his face.

“Aren't I always sweet?” Josh teased.

“You're usually kind of a grouch in the morning,” Tyler teased back, poking his tongue out at him.

Josh faked a hurt expression. “Ouch, my heart.” He leaned in and stole a quick kiss from him. “Ha, got you.”

“Gross.” Tyler smiled before returning the kiss. “Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do,” he said, laughing.

“Silly boy.” He sat back up, grabbing the cups off the table. “Look what I got.”

Tyler's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the coffee. “Ooh,” he said. “A Protector after my own heart.”

Josh laughed as he handed him his cup. “Hope it's sweet enough for you, darling.”

Tyler kissed him on the cheek. “Well, if you made it, I'm sure it is. Thank you, Joshua.”

Josh was really glad that they were alone right now, because anyone else would surely roll their eyes at how sappy they were being. He really couldn't help it, though; their honeymoon phase was in full swing and that coupled with the fact that Josh knew how starved Tyler's Time Keeper was only added to the swirl of emotions, hormones and relative bliss.

"It's so gloomy today," Tyler said as he looked at the rain-stained windows. "Makes me sleepy."

"Me too." Josh sipped his coffee. "We should just go back to sleep for the rest of the day."

Tyler smiled. "I'm not against that idea."

Josh chuckled. "Well, we can't be lazy bums _all_ the time, Ty."

"Hey, speak for yourself." Tyler nudged him with his elbow. "Just kidding. What do you have in mind?"

"Hmm…" Josh held a finger up to his lips, tapping it thoughtfully. "I'm thinking breakfast."

Tyler nodded. "Do you want me to make you something?"

"No, actually, I was thinking we could go out? Sort of like a breakfast date." He gave him a bright smile.

Inside of his mind, Tyler dreaded the idea of being around people, especially due to the fear that someone might notice his Keeper symbol and make a scene about it. He wanted to say no, he'd rather just stay at home, drink his coffee and hide, but he also didn't want to say no and disappoint Josh.

So he nodded and forced as natural of a smile that he could manage. "Okay."

*** * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * *     * * * * * ***

One hour later, they were sat in a booth at a local diner in town. It was more crowded than they had anticipated, but thankfully, they didn't have to wait too long for their table.

As Tyler listened to the chatter across the tables, he wondered why more people weren't at church on Sunday mornings or even just… anywhere else except here. Pulling the sleeves on his hoodie down as far as they could go, he shifted around in his seat, his mind hyper-focused on every eye that drifted into his general direction.

Josh had noticed the shift in Tyler's mood after he suggested going out for a breakfast date. He knew it was because of his fear that someone would give him trouble over being a Keeper, but while a part of him knew that Tyler would have to face his fears at one way or another, another part of him still felt bad for even bringing up the idea. He had faced so much in his life already that he didn't want to… add to it.

"How's your orange juice?" Josh asked, attempting to make small talk with him.

"Good," Tyler replied. "Tastes pretty fresh."

"Yeah, I think it's fresh-squeezed orange juice." Josh put his hand on the table before offering it to Tyler. "Wanna hold my hand?"

Tyler looked at Josh's hand before nodding, slowly placing his fingers into the spaces where they fit oh so perfectly. "Thank you," he mumbled, eyes casting off to the window, staring at the trees in the parking lot as they whipped around in the wind.

Josh bit his lip. "Tyler, if you want to leave…"

He shook his head. "No. I have to get over this. Exposure is only going to make it easier." He let out a shaky sigh. "I can't hide forever."

The redhead nodded. "I'm with you 100%, Ty."

"Thank you." He tightened his grip on Josh's hand. "Sometimes I think the fear of… seeing him again is even worse than the fear of being discovered."

Josh caught onto the fact that he was talking about his ex-Protector. "We can always try to avoid the places that he goes on a regular basis."

"But, see, that's the thing. I don't know where he went half the time." Tyler looked away again. "We never went out together. He didn't like me being out in public, said I might cause a lot of trouble for us. The only time he let me go out was to the grocery store for food and I had to text him constant updates on where I was. He didn't trust me… at all."

"Wow…" Underneath the table, Josh's free hand balled into a fist. He couldn't fathom how anyone could have the absolutely audacity to abuse and play mind games with someone like that, _especially_ someone that professed to be a Protector, the closest and most vital in a Keeper's life. He didn't think of himself as a violent person, by any means, but hearing that made him want to go find this guy and fight him.

Clearing his throat, he tried his best to compose himself before speaking again. "Well, Tyler, this may not mean a lot, but I want you to know that I trust you and I don't think you will cause any trouble. I want everyone to know that you're mine. I'm not ashamed of you at all, and I hope that, someday, you'll grow to feel the same way about yourself."

Tyler's breath caught in his throat a little as he listened to Josh talk. "Oh, my goodness… that means everything to me, Josh. T-Thank you... seriously."

Josh just smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "You're welcome. And if this guy ever comes within spitting distance of you, I'm gonna kick his butt, okay?"

The younger boy wanted to laugh at the thought of gentle, docile Josh fighting someone, but he also knew that Josh's biceps were 100x bigger than his would ever be, so he wouldn't argue against that.

After a while, their food came and they started to eat. Josh had a sort of "sampler" of most of the breakfast items, while Tyler had just eggs and bacon. It was still such a struggle for him to eat a lot, but he was trying, and Josh was incredibly proud of him for it.

During the middle of a conversation about, strangely enough, whether bacon or sausage was better, Josh's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a new text message from Fynn.

**Fynn-ley: dude I'm sick. and not in a good way.**

He frowned as he read the message, which immediately got Tyler's attention.

The brunette reached over and laid a gentle hand on the older man's arm. "Hey… is something wrong?"

"Fynn just told me that he's not feeling well. Hang on, let me find out what's going on."

_Josh: What happened?_

**Fynn-ley: bad shrimp last night. food poisoning. have puked 20 times and counting since 3am. and that isn't counting the 5 times on the other end.**

_Josh: Ouch, that sucks, bro. Do you need to go to the doctor?_

**Fynn-ley: no I just need a stomach pump and some Prep H because I've ripped myself a new one.**

_Josh: Uhh… that I didn't need to know._

**Fynn-ley: it's part of our friendship, get used to it**

"Fynn gave himself food poisoning," Josh told Tyler. "I'll spare you the details, since you're eating, but let's just say it doesn't sound pretty.

Tyler frowned. "Aww. Poor Fynn. Can we help him?"

Josh raised an eyebrow. "Help him?"

"Yeah. Maybe bring him some soup or crackers. Just visit and give him some company." Tyler placed his fork down on his plate. "It's the least I could do for him after he helped take care of me while I was sick."

The redhead smiled at his sentence. He already knew that Tyler had a good heart, but just seeing it proved live and in-person, it was extremely satisfying.

"I think he'd like that," Josh answered. "Fynn likes you a lot."

Tyler smiled. "Thank you, Josh. He likes you too."

"Only because I'm his boss." Josh laughed. "Do you want to go to the store after this to see what we can find him?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."

And, even as much as it surprised him, he was actually kind of looking forward to going to the store. There wasn't a  feeling of dread when it was surrounded by kindess and generosity.

 

It was… calming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooth-rotting fluff at the beginning and some more perspective into Tyler's life with his previous Protector. I hope it's fairly realistic that Tyler is still insecure about himself as a Keeper and his eating habits.
> 
> He will get better, though, slowly but surely.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. <3


End file.
